Nigeria’s reliance on locally sourced crude rose sharply in April, driving a sharp decline in imported oil for domestic refining, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) reported this week.
The regulator’s April fact sheet shows that of the 18.37 million barrels of crude supplied to the country’s refineries, only 410,000 barrels were imported – a fall of more than 95 percent from the 9.43 million barrels imported in March and the 4.25 million barrels in February. The remaining 17.96 million barrels originated from Nigerian fields, reflecting a rapid shift toward self‑sufficiency.
On a daily basis, refineries received an average of 612,000 barrels of crude in April. Local crude accounted for roughly 599,000 barrels per day, while imports dwindled to just 13,700 barrels per day, a figure the regulator described as “negligible.” Three modular plants – WalterSmith, Edo and Aradel – together supplied about 0.56 million litres of diesel each day, operating at varying capacity utilisation rates.
The newly commissioned Dangote Refinery, which began operations in May 2023, absorbed the bulk of the feedstock. It ran at an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 percent, reaching full‑load on most days in the month. With a steady supply of domestic crude, the complex produced 53.6 million litres of petrol, 23.6 million litres of diesel and 22.9 million litres of aviation turbine kerosene (jet fuel) each day.
Output from Dangote’s petroleum marketing system (PMS) reached 40.7 million litres per day for the home market, while 17.1 million litres were exported. Diesel and jet fuel saw similar export volumes, at 17.8 million litres and 20.5 million litres per day respectively. The total domestic supply of PMS rose to 44.4 million litres per day in April, up from 40.1 million litres the previous month. Correspondingly, imported PMS fell to 3.7 million litres per day.
Daily consumption of PMS, measured by volumes dispatched to fuel stations, stood at 51.1 million litres, marginally above the 2026 benchmark of 50 million litres. The national fuel sufficiency index recorded 18 days of coverage for petrol and 39 days for diesel, indicating a tightening of supply gaps.
The NMDPRA hailed the data as evidence of growing energy self‑sufficiency in Nigeria, attributing the progress to the “naira‑for‑crude” arrangement that has incentivised local producers to sell to refineries at favourable terms, and to the high operational performance of the Dangote facility.
Analysts note that the steep drop in imports underscores the impact of increased domestic crude availability and the strategic role of large‑scale refining capacity in curbing reliance on external supplies. If the current trajectory holds, Nigeria could further narrow its import bill and strengthen its position as a regional fuel hub.
The regulator is expected to release a May update later this month, which will show whether the downward trend in oil imports continues and how export volumes evolve as the refineries settle into full‑year operations.
